Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Oakland, CA — Sierra Club Executive Director Michael Brune and Jessica Morehead, Chapter Director of the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter, released the following statement in response to the murder of Rayshard Brooks, 27, who was shot and killed by a police officer in Atlanta on June 12, 2020. Throughout the last 2 months,the Sierra Club has firmly condemned police brutality and white supremacy, including the violent, racist killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor. In July of 2019, the Sierra Club joined forces with a coalition of environmental justice and national environmental groups to release a just and equitable national climate platform that centers racial, climate and environmental justice to improve the public health and well-being of all communities.
“We grieve with Mr. Brooks’ family, community, and so many others who have been subject to the trauma and pain caused by incessant and racist police brutality towards Black people. As one of the largest climate and environmental justice advocacy organizations, part of the Sierra Club’s mandate is to ensure that oppressed communities receive justice and experience the benefits of a healthy and sustainable future. We must divest from excessive, brutal, and discriminatory policing, which threaten our vision of community safety that works for everyone. While the officer who shot Rayshard Brooks has been fired, what’s needed is a fundamental transformation of our policing system, not reform.
“We will continue to fight for equitable communal spaces that are safe and welcoming for all Americans, and we stand with those struggling for change and an overhaul of policing across our country.”
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with more than 3.5 million members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.
About the Sierra Club Georgia Chapter
The Sierra Club Georgia Chapter is the largest grassroots environmental organization in the state, with more than 75,000 members and supporters. The Chapter supports a robust outings program and has active committees working on forest and coastal protection, transit expansion, and clean energy. For more information, visit sierraclub.org/georgia.
Press Contact:
Lina Francis, lina.francis@sierraclub.org